As technology advances, product designs in general, and designs for mobile products in particular, are becoming smaller and smaller. As device designs become smaller, the distance between electronic components within a device decreases. Moreover, the small size of many devices can prevent the use of active thermal management techniques such as cooling fans. As a result, heat generated by internal electronic components must be distributed and dissipated throughout the device by controlling the means of thermal conduction within the device. Often, small components such as cameras or light emitting diodes (LEDs) can create small point sources of heat within the device. When these heat sources are located close to exterior surfaces of the device, the heat can interfere with a user's ability to comfortably use the device. Additionally, excessive buildups of heat can decrease the performance of many electronic components and can result in uneven thermal expansion across a device. In order to prevent these problems, heat must be insulated from heat sensitive areas of the device while being spread and directed towards areas of the device that can act as heat sinks.
Therefore, what is desired is a reliable way to insulate and distribute heat generated by a heat source in an electronic device.